Shloka 413

Devanagari script

निपतेयु: सपत्नेषु विक्रमत्स्वपि भारत । “भारत! मैं जैसा-जैसा चाहूँगा, वैसा ही रूप धारण करके मेरे बाण शत्रुओंके पराक्रम करनेपर भी उनपर पड़ेंगे

Transliteration

nipateyuḥ sapatneṣu vikramatsv api bhārata |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, even when the foes display their prowess, my arrows will still fall upon those adversaries—taking whatever form I choose.” The line underscores a warrior’s confident resolve in battle, while also hinting at the moral tension of war where power and will seek to dominate opposing claims.

Word by Word

• निपतेयुः: would fall / might fall down
• निपतेयुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: निपत् (धातु: पत् + नि)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सपत्नेषु: upon/among the rivals (enemies)
• सपत्नेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सपत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• विक्रमात्सु: in (their) acts of prowess / while exerting valor
• विक्रमात्सु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• अपि: even / also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भारत: O Bharata (descendant of Bharata)
• भारत: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)
• sapatna (enemies/rivals)
• arrows (implied by the accompanying Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights unwavering martial resolve: even against an enemy’s active valor, a determined warrior claims his action (here, the striking of arrows) will prevail. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between human agency (skill, will) and the destructive certainty of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a battlefield assertion of dominance: despite opponents striving bravely, the speaker’s missiles are said to land upon them as intended, conveying confidence and the escalating intensity of the Kurukṣetra combat.